Difference between revisions of "Brinkmanship"
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:The practice, especially in international politics, of seeking advantage by creating the impression that one is willing and able to push a highly dangerous situation to the limit rather than concede.<ref>American Heritage Dictionary[http://www.bartleby.com/61/54/B0485400.html]</ref> | :The practice, especially in international politics, of seeking advantage by creating the impression that one is willing and able to push a highly dangerous situation to the limit rather than concede.<ref>American Heritage Dictionary[http://www.bartleby.com/61/54/B0485400.html]</ref> | ||
| − | The word is associated with [[John Foster Dulles]], [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Eisenhower]]'s secretary of state. It tended to be used by his critics, with the implication that Dulles was a reckless sabre-rattler, particularly of nuclear sabres. [[Adlai Stevenson]], for example, chided Dulles for "boasting of his brinkmanship—the art of bringing us to the edge of the nuclear abyss." | + | The word is closely associated with [[John Foster Dulles]], [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Eisenhower]]'s secretary of state. It tended to be used by his critics, with the implication that Dulles was a reckless sabre-rattler, particularly of nuclear sabres. [[Adlai Stevenson]], for example, chided Dulles for "boasting of his brinkmanship—the art of bringing us to the edge of the nuclear abyss." |
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| + | The word "brinkmanship" recalls the word "gamesmanship," the light-hearted creation of humorist Stephen Potter, author of the 1947 book "Gamesmanship: The Art of Winning Games Without Actually Cheating," by various psychological attacks on the opponent. The implication was that Dulles was treating foreign diplomacy as if it were a game. | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
Revision as of 22:47, February 11, 2007
Brinkmanship (also brinksmanship) is the indication by a nation that it will do anything it needs to defend its interests. One dictionary defines it:
- The practice, especially in international politics, of seeking advantage by creating the impression that one is willing and able to push a highly dangerous situation to the limit rather than concede.[1]
The word is closely associated with John Foster Dulles, Eisenhower's secretary of state. It tended to be used by his critics, with the implication that Dulles was a reckless sabre-rattler, particularly of nuclear sabres. Adlai Stevenson, for example, chided Dulles for "boasting of his brinkmanship—the art of bringing us to the edge of the nuclear abyss."
The word "brinkmanship" recalls the word "gamesmanship," the light-hearted creation of humorist Stephen Potter, author of the 1947 book "Gamesmanship: The Art of Winning Games Without Actually Cheating," by various psychological attacks on the opponent. The implication was that Dulles was treating foreign diplomacy as if it were a game.